Thread marking machine



Dec. 17, 1946.

J. DASHEW THREAD MARKING MACHINE Fi led May 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JACOB DFXSHEZW Dec. 17, 1946. J, DASHEW THREAD MARKING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JACOB DAsHEW' Patented Dec. 17, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THREAD MARKING MACHINE Jacob Dashew, Baltimore, Md.

Application May 22, 1945, Serial No. 595,104

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in thread marking machines.

In the production of clothing, particularly mens and ladies suits, by the larger tailoring establishments a plurality of plies of fabric are cut or fashioned in one operation and it is the usual practice to mark these several plies while still stacked one upon another with a thread eX- tending through them, say at each point where a button is to be attached or at the corners of pockets, and other points at which work is to be performed on each ply after it has been separated from the others in the stack. In separating the several plies of a marked stack the thread, which originally extends in a continuous length through the stack, is severed between each two thicknesses of material so that each piece of fabric carries a short length of marking thread at each of the points mentioned. Heretofore this marking thread has been placed through the several thicknesses of fabric by what is herein termed a thread marking machine and to overcome the tendency of the thread to pull through the plies of fabric as they are removed from the machine or while they are being separated from one another for severing the thread between each two thicknesses, it has been the practice to tie a knot in the thread underneath the lowermost ply. In some instances the knot has been tied manually which requires the operator to slip his hand under the stack of fabric and grasp and tie the thread but as this manual tying of the knot is rather tedious and increases the time factor involved in the marking operation it has also been proposed to provide a knot tying mechanism in the base of the marking machine which will be automatically operated to tie the knot after the thread-carrying needle has pierced the several plies and during the return movement of that needle. A thread marking machine having a knotter mechanism in the base thereof operable by the movement of a depressible operating lever which advances and retracts the threadcarrying needle through the stack plies of fabric is fully disclosed in the application of Robert L. Dashew, Serial No. 530,888 filed April 13, 1944, to which reference is hereby made for a complete description of the construction and operation of the knot tying mechanism. In the machine shown in said application, Serial No. 530,888, the needle is made with a reduced cross-sectional area adjacent its point in order to insure the knotter mechanism properly engaging in the loop of thread carried by the needle and one of the principal objects of the present invention is to iii provide a knotter actuating mechanism which will insure the formation of a comparatively large loop in the thread after it has penetrated the stacked plies of fabric so that it is unnecessary to reduce the cross-section of the needle to any material extent such as would weaken the needle and render it more liable to fracture during the operation of the machine.

A still further object of the present invention is to simplify the operating connections for the knotter mechanism in that the movements of the rack bar through which the knotter mechanism is operated and of the actuator slide for that rack bar correspond to one another in the sense that movements of the slide bar cause the rack bar to move in corresponding directions as distinguished from that form of operating connections wherein movement of the actuator slide in one direction causes the rack bar to move in the opposite direction. As a result of this correspondence in the directions of movement of the rack bar and its actuator slide, the number of gears used in connecting these parts are reduced to a minimum.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present machine with the base shown in cross-section;

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the actuator slide latch in side elevation but with the forward end of said slide broken away for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine base, the base being broken away to illustrate the knotter mechanism and the connection between the rack bar which actuates the knotter and the actuator slide through which motion is transmitted from the operating lever to said rack bar;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows appearing on that section line;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1 looking upward or in the direction of the arrows appearing in conjunction with that section line; and

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of what is termed the loop shifter of the knotter mechanism.

As the knot tying mechanism, per se, constitutes no part of the present invention it is not disclosed in detail herein but a full. disclosure is to be found in application, Serial No. 530,888,

above identified. For the purposes of the present case it will sufiice to say that this knot tying mechanism consists essentially of a thread looper in the form of a hook H, a loop shifter S, and a dual-jawed knotter B which normally occupy the positions illustrated in Fig. 3,- and which are adapted to be actuated by a reciprocatory motion of a rack bar R which is provided with tWo rows of rack teeth T, T, for transmitting motion to the before-mentioned knot tying instrumentalities. As will be later explained, the needle I!) carrying the marking thread M (Fig. 1) is movable by an operating lever l2 from the position shown in Fig. 1 downwardly through a needle opening it in the base M of the marking machine, so that the thread i can be engaged by the knot tying devices which are actuated by the operating handle or lever 12, the actuating connections between the handle and the rack bar R of the knot tying mechanism being that por tion of the machine in which the present invention is embodied.

Essentially, the actuating connectionsbetween rack bar R and the operating lever l2 consist of an actuator slide l5 slidably mounted on the bracket 16 which overhangs the machine base, this slide 85 having a depending extension l5 whose lower end carries a rack I? which meshes with a gear l8 fast on a second gear [9 which engages the teeth 25 of rack bar R. The gears l3, l9, are rotatable on a shaft 2! mounted in the base of the machine and, as will be apparent, movement of slide l5 and its rack bar I! in one direction or the other will, through the gears l8, l9, cause the rack bar R to move in corresponding directions. At this point, it should be pointed out that this provides a comparatively simple connection between the rack bar I1 and rack bar R, only the twogears fast with one another being required by reason of the fact that the two rack bars occupy the same relative posi tions with respect to the gears with which they mesh and the further fact that both rack bars move simultaneously in the same directions.

As stated, the threadlooper H and the loop shifter S are shown in their normal positions in Fig. 3. When so positioned, they are located to one side of the path of the needle whose point is adapted to be received in guide G in the base and to move the parts into thread-engaging position rack bar R has to be moved to the left, or in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. 3. To accomplish this the slide 15 is movable tothe left, as viewed in Fig. 1, under the influence of a sprin 22 attached at one end to a pin 23 on the slide and at its opposite end to a pin 24 on the bracket l6. Reverse movement of the knotting mechanism for the purpose of tying the knot is accomplished by a reverse movement of the rack bar R which, in turn, is effected by means of an arm 25 rigid on the operating lever and whose lower end is adapted to engage a stud 25 on the actuator slide l5. Normally the actuator slide I5 occupies the'position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, so that, when it is free to move under the influence of spring 22, it will move toward the left and thus cause the knotter elements to assume their thread-engaging position but, in order to permit a comparatively large loop to be formed in the thread H after the latter has been pushed through the layers of fabric on the base 54 into positiohto be engaged by the knot tying mechanism, the movements of the actuator slide are so controlled that the operating lever 12 is permitted to be completely depressed and partially withdrawn or retracted before actuator slide 15 can be moved by spring 22, this partial retraction of the operating lever l2 and, consequently, the needle I!) causing a loop to be formed 5 in the thread in position to be engaged by the knot tying mechanism elements. In other words, when the operating lever I2 i depressed the needle I, with the thread, is pushed through the fabrics down into the base of the machine and when the operatin lever 52 is permitted a slight retractive movement the needle will be withdrawn a short distance but as the thread itself is frictionally held in the fabrics the thread is not Withdrawn and forms a comparatively large bulge or loop positioned in the path of the thread-engaging elements of the knotter.

To effect this delayed action of the actuator slide it is retained or releasably held in its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, by a latch 21 pivoted at one end on a pivot pin 28 in bracket It with its opposite end positioned in the path of a lateral abutment 29 on the actuator slide, the

latch being held in this position by a plate spring 35 secured on the undersurface of the bracket. This latch 21 constitutes essentially a stop engageable with the actuator slide and it is adapted to be released by a pin 3! carried on the operating lever in a position where, when the lever is depressed, said pin 3| will engage and depress the latch, as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2 the lever 12 is shown fully depressed at which time the pin 3| is in the path of the abutment 29 on the actuator slide I5 and, while the abutment 29 has been permitted a slight movement so as to clear the end of the latch 21, nevertheless the actuator slide is still unable to comtheir normal positions to their thread-engaging positions until the operating lever has been retracted a slight distance sufficient to free the abutment 29. However, when the operating lever has moved u wardly this slight distance the spring 22 will snap the actuator slide toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, it being understood that with the operating lever substantially fully depressed its arm 25 will be spaced some distance from the stud 26 on the slide and said arm 25 will not interfere with this movement of the slide. This movement of said slide will, through its rack bar H, the gears l8, l9, and the rack bar R, cause the knot tying instrumentalities to assume their thread-engaging positions. However, at this time, the large loop will have been formed in the thread by reason of the slight retraction of the needle, as previously described, 50 so that, as the operating lever completes its retractive movement its arm 25 will engage pin 25 and force the actuator slide I5 back to its normal position with the result that the rack bar R will, likewise, be moved in a reverse direction to effect the tying of the knot in the loop of thread. These movements of the actuator slide and the knot tying devices are all effected rather rapidly because the spring 22 snapsthe actuator slide I5 to the left, as viewed in Fig. l,

as soon as the slide abutment 29 is free of the pin 3| 0n the operating lever andthe return movement of the slide is also carried out with more or less of a snap action because the retrac- 'tive movement of the operating lever 12 is also performed with a spring action as described in the side of the needle;

the previously identified application. The spring for retracting the operating lever is simply here shown at 40 in Fig.4. In other words, the operator does little more than depress the operating lever and then releases it.

A'fur-ther-detail, and a further advantage of the present arrangement for actuating the rack barof the knot tying mechanism is the fact thatthe pin 31- is adjustable into and out'of the operating lever, but locked in any desired position by a lock nut 32. Thus the distance the pin projects from the handle can be lengthenedor shortened to vary the distance the operating lever must be initially retracted to free the abutment 29 of the actuator slide which, in turn, will permit the size of the loop formed in the thread to be varied. In other words, but screwing the pin 3| into its socket in the lever arm the pin may be said to be shortened so that it will clear the actuator slide abutment 29 aftera very slight retractive movement of the operating lever. Under these circumstances, the needle will be retracted only a short distance and a comparatively small loop formed in the thread. On the other hand, by adjusting the pin outwardly from the handle it may be said to be lengthened so as to require a more extendedretractive movement before itclears the actuator slide abutment 29 and, under these conditions,

a comparatively largerloop will be formed in the thread for engagementby the knot tying devices. As previously indicated, by forming the bulge or loop in the thread it is unnecessary to make the needle of reduced cross-sectional area and thus Weaken it as is the case where the thread looper'H'has to more or less pick the thread 01f In this connection it should be added that in'view of the fact that the needle is in itsdepressed position at the time the loop shifter S moves from its normal position to. itsoathread-engaging position, this loop shifter is made of two hingedly connected sections S, the section S being mounted on the shaft 33 and the two sections being pivotally connected together by a pivot pin 34, as shown in Fig. 6. Section S is provided with an abutment 35 which is held in engagement with a pin 36 on section S by a spring 31, the arrangement being such that when the loop shifter moves from its normal position to its threadengaging position the section S can turn on its pivot 34 so as to wipe past the needle 3| but upon return of the loop shifter in a knot tying operation it constitutes a substantially rigid element, it being understood that during this portion of the cycle of operations the needle 3| has been elevated. The actuator slide I may be secured on the bracket It in various ways although in the present instance it is merely shown as being provided with slots 38 through which studs 39 secured in the bracket 16 extend, the studs 39 forming guides and the slots 38 forming guideways to control the reciprocatory movements of the slide bar. The operating lever, which is pivoted at M on an abutment 42 on the bracket I B, is formed with telescoping sections to compensate for the pivotal movement of the lever.

What is claimed is:

1. In a thread marking machine having a base for supporting fabrics to be marked, a knotter mechanism below said base, a reciprocatory rack bar for actuating said knotter, a thread-carrying needle, a depressible operating lever for advancing said needle and thread through fabrics on thebase toa point belowthe base for engagement of the thread by said knotter mechanism and means operable by said lever for reciprocating said rack bar, said rack bar reciprocating means comprising a reciprocatory actuator slide connected to said rack bar, a spring for moving said actuator slide in one direction; astop normally engaging said slide and releasably holding the same against movement under the influence of said spring, a stop actuating-member operable upon advance movement of the needle through the fabrics to disengage said stop and permit a limited'movement of said slide by said spring, said stop actuating member being engageable by the slide by said limited movement of the latter to prevent further movement thereof while the needle is advanced and disengageable from said slide upon retraction of said needle to permit completion of the movement of the slide under the influence of said spring whereby said rack bar will be reciprocated in one direction, and means operable by the retraction of said operating lever and needle for reciprocating said actuator slide and rack bar in the opposite direction.

2. In a thread marking machine having a base on which the fabrics to be marked are supported, a knotter mechanism below said base, a threadcarrying needle, a depressible operating lever for moving said needle and thread from a point above the base through the fabrics to a position for engagement of the thread by the knotter below the base, and a reciprocatory slide for actuating said knotter mechanism, the combination of a spring formoving said slide in one direction, a stop normally engaged by said slide and preventing movement thereof under themfluence of said spring, a trip carried by said lever for disengaging said stop from said slide and engageable with said slide to prevent movement of the latter under the influence of the spring when said lever is fully depressed, said trip being disengageable from said slide upon retraction 0f th operating lever whereby the slide is moved in one direction by said spring and means operable by said lever during the retraction of the latter for returning said slide to its normally locked position. i

3. In a thread marking machine having a base on which the fabrics to be marked are supported, a knotter mechanism below said base, a threadcarrying needle, a depressible operating lever for moving said needle and thread from a point above the base through the fabrics to a position for engagement of the thread by the knotter below the base, and a reciprocatory slide for actuating said knotter mechanism, the combination of a spring for moving said slide in one direction, a releasable latch normally engaging said slide and preventing movement of the latter under the influence of said spring, means yieldingly urging said latch into its normal slide engaging position, a tripoperated by said lever, for disengaging said latch from the slide and,

for restoring said slide to its normally locked position 4. In a thread marking machine having a base on which the fabrics to be marked are supported, a knotter mechanism below said base, a threadcarrying needle, a depressible operating lever for moving said needle and thread from a point above the base through the fabrics to a position for engagement of the thread by the knotter below the base, and a reciprocatory slide for actuating said knotter mechanism, the combination of a spring for moving said slide in one direction, a lateral projection on said slide, a latch yieldingly held in the path of said projection and normally preventing movement of the slide under the infiuence of said spring, a pin movable by the depression of the operating lever into engagement with said latch to disengage the latter from engagement with the projection on the slide, said pin being positioned in the path of the projection on the slide when the operating lever is fully depressed and said latch is released for permitting a limited movement of the slide under the influence of the spring whereby said projection is moved out of its latch-engaging position and said pin being movable out of engagement with said slide, projection by the initial return movement oi the operating lever whereby the movement of said slide by said spring is completed, and means operable by the retraction of said operating lever fo moving said slide in the opposite direction and restoring the same with the projection of said slide in latch-engaging position.

5. In a thread marking machine having a base on which the fabrics to be marked are supported,

a knotter mechanism below the base, a threadcarrying needle, a depressible operating lever for moving said needle and thread from a point above the base through the fabrics to a position for engagement of the thread by the knotter mechanism below the base, a supporting bracket over- 8 hanging said bas and a knotter actuator slide mounted for reciprocation on said bracket, the combination of a spring for moving said slide in one direction and an abutment on said slide, a latch pivoted in the bottom of said armand yieldingly urged upwardly into engagement with said slide abutment for normally preventing movement of the slide under the influence of said spring, a pin adjustable in said lever and movable into engagement with said latch upon depression of the lever to release said slide abutment, said pin being positioned in the path of said slide abutment when the lever is fully de pressed at a point to permit said abutment to move out of its latch engaging position while still preventing completion of the movement of the slide under the influence of said spring, said pin being movable out of the path of said slide abutment upon the initial retractive movement of the lever, to permit completion of the movement of the slide under the influence of the spring,and means operable by the operating lever during the completion of the retractive movement of the latter for restoring said slide and its abutment in latch-engaging position.

6. In a thread marking machine having a base on which the fabrics to be marked are supported, a knotter mechanism below said base, a threadcarrying needle, a depressible operating lever for moving said needle and thread into and out of operative association with the knotter mechanis'm, a reciprocatory rack bar for actuating said knotter mechanism and a reciprocatory actuator slide for reciprocating said rackbar, driving connections between said rack bar and slide consisting of a pair of gears having a com mon center of rotation, one of said gears engaging said rack bar and a rack bar formed on said slide and engaging the other of said gears.

JACOB DASHEW. 

